







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| Do you want me to make you a cup of tea or coffee? | |
| And it's hard to believe, but it's clean. | |
| No she is a very cute, easygoing and friendly girl. | |
| But on the ad it says the house is fully furnished! | |
| I'm really amazed by the structure of this station. | |
| He hasn't realised that we are at a vet yet. | |
| Is there a knife? | |
| Hello guys, is it possible to make a little less noise? | |
| I don't like violence in real life, I only like it in movies. | |
| Yes sir, you can have a seat at this table. | |
| That's why they're 50% off. | |
| That's a good question! | |
| 360 degrees should be good. | |
| It's a double room plus we get a cleaner once a week. | |
| Exactly, one of them is asking for 3,500, the other one is 3,000... | |
| Do you want to bet on it? | |
| Yeah, and the market is good, is Camden Lock in zone-2 or 3? | |
| Exactly, I hate getting woken up in the middle of the night! | |
| You never pick Bear's poo up from the pavement. | |
| Yeah, it's better not to fully fill the bath, it leaks downstairs. | |